Germany launches Energy Price Data Lab as record negative electricity prices loom

StromAuskunft.de announced the Energy Price Data Lab, a new platform that makes daily electricity‑price data for more than 6,400 German cities and municipalities publicly available. The lab aggregates standardized price information collected since 2017 and provides interactive visualisations, a price‑atlas, historical series and regional rankings. Dr. Jörg Heidjann, managing partner of EnergieAuskunft GmbH, said, “Strompreise werden häufig nur als bundesweiter Durchschnitt diskutiert. Für Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher ist aber entscheidend, wie teuer Strom konkret vor Ort ist.”

At the same time, data from the Hamburg firm 1Komma5Grad show that Germany recorded 242 hours of negative wholesale electricity prices in the first five months of 2026, a level that could exceed the previous record year of 2025. Product manager Jannik Schall warned, “In den nächsten Jahren rechnen wir mit einer Zunahme negativer Preise an der Börse,” attributing the trend to a lag in grid and storage expansion relative to rapid renewable‑energy growth. Experts cite the growing structural imbalance and call for more large‑scale batteries and flexible demand to absorb surplus generation.